Plot Diagrams
Two Plot Models to Power Up Your Novel
You have a great idea for a novel. What’s the best way build a plot around it? Let’s look at how we professional authors go about this.
We use ‘plot models’, also called ‘plot diagrams’. These are blueprints for effective structures. Creatively modified, they provide the right amount of tension in the right place to keep our readers enthralled.
In the hand of the novice, plot models can lead to formulaic, predictable writing, but when professionals use them, the resulting novel combines fresh originality with timeless resonance.
Here are the two most popular plot diagrams, The Three Act Structure and The Hero’s Journey, with suggestions how you can make them work for your novel.
The Three-Act Plot Model
Every story needs a beginning, a middle and an end. You’ve probably heard that – but how does this structure apply to novels? And more importantly, how can you make it work for your novel? Imagine your novel as a play in three acts, with two interval curtains.
ACT 1: The Beginning
In this section, you need to establish the main characters and their goals, as well as the story’s location and the core conflicts. Although the tension is low, the reader senses it bubbling under the surface, about to erupt. An Inciting Incident happens that forces the main character into action.
The First Interval Curtain
Between the first and the second act comes an interval. This isn’t a break when the readers can leave the story to get some popcorn and ice cream. Instead, think of it as a curtain the main character (MC) must lift. You can also visualise it as a doorway she must open and walk through in order to do what needs to be done. The MC makes a conscious decision to open that door and enter a new phase of her life. (For simplicity, I’ll refer to the MC as ‘she’, but of course everything I say applies equally if your novel’s main character is male.)
ACT 2: The Middle
In this part, the MC struggles against obstacles, gathers clues and grows as a person. The tension grows higher and higher throughout this act, although occasionally it eases to give the reader some respite. In the middle of Act 2, the Midpoint Reversal happens. Everything changes drastically as the MC’s perceptions alter. She may realise that she is about to marry the wrong man, that the leader she trusted is a villain, or that the supposed criminals she’s been hunting are noble heroes. With this insight, she adapts her strategy, and she may even pursue the exact opposite of her previous goal. Immediately before or after the Midpoint Reversal comes the novel’s Black Moment. This is the most devastating situation where everything goes wrong and all seems lost. The MC is in a hopeless situation: captured, wounded, betrayed. In despair, she is close to giving up – but she rallies her courage and fights on.
The Second Interval Curtain
As before, the MC decides to abandon one phase of her life and enter another. This is often a heart-wrenching decision, or one involving great risk.
ACT 3: The Ending
Now your novel reaches the Climax. The MC should face the main antagonist in this scene (e.g the noble knight meets the evil sorcerer, or the detective meets the serial killer). The two fight, either verbally or physically. Often, it’s a duel to the death. This is the moment when the book’s tension is highest, and your readers are breathless with excitement. The final part of the story is the Resolution when the MC achieves her goal and her problems are solved.
How to make it work for your novel
In modern novels, the Middle is much longer than the Beginning and the Ending – perhaps several times longer. For the interval curtains, consider letting your MC pass through a literal door, gateway or curtain as well as a metaphorical one. This creates drama and suspense.
Novice Mistakes To Avoid
Many new writers think that ‘low tension’ equals ‘no tension’, and that ‘establishing the characters, location and conflict’ means dumping information on the reader. This leads to slow-paced, tedious, dull beginnings. Some new authors are in such a hurry to conclude their novel that they skip the resolution altogether, and finish the story after the climax. This is disappointing for the reader who has been waiting for the pay-off.
The Hero’s Journey Plot Model
Some tales are thousands of years old and still captivate readers, for example the ancient Greek myth Odyssey, the Anglo-Saxon tale of Beowulf, and the story of Moses in the Bible. These stories follow a similar structure, called ‘The Hero’s Journey’ which resonates with us on a deeper level. I’m using ‘he’ for the hero, but of course you can apply the same model to a female main character. Typically, the plot follows these stages:
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD
This section shows the main character in his ‘normal’ life.
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
A herald, message, order or client arrives telling the MC to go on a quest or assignment.
3. THE REFUSAL OF THE CALL
The MC doesn’t want to go (perhaps he doesn’t have the time, has promised his wife never to go on a jungle expedition again, has retired from detective work, or doesn’t believe he has a chance at succeeding), and tries to get out of this assignment. But he is the only one who can do it, and honour (or another reason) compels him to accept.
4. MEETING THE MENTOR
A wise old person, famous expert or experienced veteran gives the MC dire warnings and invaluable advice. Sometimes the MC seeks the advice, and the mentor is reluctant to give it. This adds tension.
5. ASSEMBLING THE TEAM
The MC acquires a sidekick or recruits the crew for the job.
6. VISITING THE ARMOURER
The MC obtains an unusual weapon or specialist equipment.
7. TEARFUL PARTING FROM A LOVED ONE
Saying goodbye to a lover, parent or child whom the MC may never see again.
8. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
To enter the unfamiliar world – a new job, a different country – the MC must convince a ‘gatekeeper’ (a receptionist, a head of department, a border guard) to let him through. It won’t be easy, because it’s the gatekeeper’s job to keep people like the MC out.
9. LEARNING THE RULES OF THE NEW WORLD
The MC may have to master the language, understand the customs, and grasp the unwritten rules.
10. THE TRAIL OF TRIALS
The MC experiences challenges, obstacles and adventures. In many novels, these include a contest, a duel or travel on a dangerous road. His special skills come in handy. If he works with a team, he proves himself a worthy leader. He makes mistakes and learns from them.
11. ALLIES AND ENEMIES
The MC gains the trust and gratitude of some people, and makes enemies (knowingly or unwittingly) of others. Often, there’s a scene in which the MC rescues someone.
12. APPROACH TO THE INNERMOST CAVE
Now the MC enters the danger zone (the werewolves’ lair, the cult’s initiation chamber, the mad scientist’s laboratory) where he sees frightening evidence of terrible atrocities. The suspense in this part of the novel is high, and the scene may be scary, especially in thrillers and horror novels.
13. THE ORDEAL
The MC suffers great pain – physical or emotional, or both. Perhaps he gets captured and tormented by his enemy, or he has to make an impossible choice between his faith and his love. The situation seems hopeless. This is probably in the middle of the novel.
14. THE INITIATION
This is an intense experience in which the MC surrenders or sacrifices something precious. Sometimes, it involves a physical or symbolic near-death, or a loss of consciousness. For example, the MC may be injured and comatose for several days. The experience transforms him, and he emerges irrevocably changed.
15. SEIZING THE ELIXIR
The MC now takes (wins, steals, gets awarded) something precious – a magic elixir, an enchanted sword, a chemical formula, secret documents proving the president’s corruption). In many novels, this ‘elixir’ is what he went on the journey for.
16. THE ROAD BACK
Other people try to take the elixir from him, or prevent his return home. The evil villain tries to stop or kill him. At this stage, it often turns out that one of the MC’s trusted allies or teammates is an enemy agent or traitor. Perhaps the MC meets that same gatekeeper again, and this time, their interaction shows how the MC has changed.
17. RESURRECTION
This can be the novel’s climactic scene, with a confrontation between the MC and the villain, perhaps in an epic fight to the death. The MC almost dies before he triumphs. He may have to atone for a terrible dead he committed earlier, and undergo a physical or metaphorical purification ritual. Depending on the genre, this section can be action-based or emotional. Often it is both. It also has a spiritual component.
18. ARRIVAL BACK HOME
The MC arrives back where he started – but he has changed. He has grown much wiser. Depending on the type of novel you’re writing, he may be happily reunited with the loved one, or discover that she has married someone else. The people for whom he undertook the quest may be grateful for the elixir and hail him as their rescuer, or they may reject what he brings and cast him out.
How To Make The Hero’s Journey Work For Your Novel
You can include all these elements in your book, but you can also choose to leave some of them out. They don’t need to play out in exactly this order, and often, two happen at the same time. For example, the ‘Trail of Trials’ and ‘Allies and Enemies’ work well if you weave them together. The sections don’t need to be all the same length. Perhaps one section spans several chapters, and another a single paragraph. Modern readers like novels which get to the exciting parts fast, so you may want to keep items 1-7 short. Perhaps The Ordinary World, The Call To Adventure and The Refusal of the Call play out in a single scene. You can also combine Meeting The Mentor, Assembling The Team, Visiting The Armourer and Tearful Parting From The Loved One into one chapter. Maybe the ‘mentor’ is actually the ‘loved one’ and the ‘armourer’ is joining the MC’s crew. In the second half, Initiation, Seizing the Elixir and Resurrection are sometimes blended together, and The Road Back is often short.
Novice Mistakes To Avoid
When new writers discover The Hero’s Journey, they often follow it slavishly, develop every stage exactly as described, and take everything literally. The armourer is a literal armourer (usually a swordsmith in a forge), the innermost cave is a literal cave, the elixir is a literal liquid in a crystal bottle. As a result, many novels (especially epic fantasy fiction) by novice authors are almost identical, formulaic and predictable. You can use these online templates as a guide.
Combining the Plot Models
You can switch between these two plot models, or layer them one on top of the other. Although they’re not exact matches, you’ll find that some points are natural matches. The Hero’s Journey stages The Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure, The Refusal of The Call, Meeting the Mentor, Assembling the Team, Visiting the Armourer and Tearful Parting from a Loved One fit neatly into Act 1 of the Three Act Structure. Crossing the Threshold equals the First Interval Curtain. The Ordeal is the equivalent of the Black Moment. Other correspondences are less obvious. Sometimes only one of the plot models has the element you need. It’s up to you to make the artistic choices that work best for your novel.
Professional Tip
Even if you choose not to apply plot models when structuring your novel, consider them when you revise your first draft. Whenever a section in your manuscript needs more depth and drama, see which stage of the Hero’s Journey or Three Act Plot Model it might correspond to. This often provides the inspiration the author needs to make that part of the book shine.
Conclusion
Plot models can give your novel power and timeless appeal, but don’t let the formulas overrule your creativity. Never let the plot models dictate where you must go with your story, but consult them as maps and signposts showing the best ways to get there.
Which of these two plot models do you prefer? Have you gained an idea how to develop or revise a scene in your draft?
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